JOHN Goddard has made quite the impression since his arrival at the County Ground.

The 23-year-old was the first signing of the summer for Swindon Town after joining for an undisclosed fee from National League outfit Woking.

Town face Goddard’s former club in Surrey this afternoon (kick-off 3pm) as part of the deal that brought the attacking midfielder to Wiltshire and it has not taken him long to settle into his new surroundings.

The former England C international has caught the eye early on in pre-season, making the hole between the midfield and opposition defence his own, and Williams thinks there is more to come from Goddard.

“I thought he was excellent,” he told BBC Wiltshire after the Reading youth player scored against his former club on Tuesday night.

“He scored, he got himself in front of the goalkeeper again to nearly score his second. In this type of number 10 position, it is very crucial to be involved in the goalmouth action.

“I think he is a talented enough boy and intelligent enough to play in midfield.

“From what I have seen so far, it is making sense for me for him to play him in that position just behind the striker.

“I think he would probably benefit from playing with a more physical striker in front of him, although I thought Jermaine (Hylton) and Jordan (Stewart) equipped themselves well.

“We know Jon Obika has got special qualities and physically, he is very capable of leading that line and working with a player like Goddard.”

Chairman Lee Power is also pleased to see his summer signing settling in and hopes he can unearth a few more like him, with scouts still out on the hunt for other hidden gems.

“We always seem to unearth one and hopefully John is the next one,” he said.

“I know everyone gets frustrated and wants big names and big money but we are very early (in the transfer window).

“That’s what John can do. He has done that all year at a lower level and we are hoping he can step up and do it here.

“We have got good people on the ground and these are the type of kids we try and find.

“He has got plenty to prove but he is a good player, a great lad and hopefully, we are going to see more of that during the season.”